The bachelor of social work degree is designed for students who want to prepare for a career of Christian service as a professional generalist social worker. The program is carried out in the context of the mission of Calvin, which is to offer a Christian education enriched by the insights of the Reformed heritage. Upon completion of the program, students are prepared for entry-level professional social work positions. The BSW program is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education.

Course Requirements

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Students wishing to graduate with honors in social work must maintain a minimum GPA of 3.5 and must complete at least six honors courses (18 semester hours minimum). Three of these courses must be in Social Work and three must be from outside of the major. At least two of the three courses must be chosen from 300-level offerings. Students will complete an honors thesis in SOWK-381, the capstone seminar, or through an independent study (390) or another approved means. This research will be publicly presented to the Calvin community. Honors students must achieve a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.5 in the social work major. The advisor for the social work honors program is J. Kuilema.

Field education is a critical component of the BSW program at Calvin. It should:

help you grow personally and professionally in an agency setting, with supervision from your field education instructor and feedback from weekly small group seminars.

help you take what you've learned in the classroom and get feedback on your implementation. This process will include evaluation and testing.

help you to integrate your worldview and the ideals and realities of educational theories with the needs of your clients.

Field education placement

You will be placed with an agency in which you will have the opportunity to practice generalist social work skills, including interviewing, contracting, intervention, networking, advocacy, group work and organization of community resources.

With the number of social work settings available in the Grand Rapids area and off-campus, we will find an agency whose needs are well-matched to your interests and skills.

Agencies with whom we place students have the following characteristics:

they have the volume and flow in programming so that you will have a wide range of learning experiences with multi-level client systems.

their programs and intervention methods are clearly defined and implemented.

they offer opportunities for practicing generalist social work skills: interviewing, contracting, intervention, networking, advocacy, group work and organization of community resources.

they provide services to diverse population groups, including ethnic, racial, religious and gender-based minorities.

their philosophy and delivery of service must comply with the NASW Code of Ethics.